"This winter went on too long and we just couldn't keep up with the bills that were coming in."

Barden only used about 2,800-square-feet of the 5,670-square-foot space for the restaurant, but said the cost entire unit shared one utility bill and he had to heat both sides to prevent frozen pipes and a cold dining room.

He and his wife both had outside jobs, but put countless hours into making the restaurant work, Barden said.

"It was just a lot of things that caused it to snowball. In addition to the cost, we have a 15-year-old son in high school we wanted to spend more time with," he said.

"The restaurant part of it was fun, and we might give it another crack after our son graduates because we had such a great time running it and being a part of the community."

Korey's was Barden's first crack at the restaurant business. He said he learned a lot about what's needed in order to run a successful business and how to put the community first in doing so.

That was one of the main reasons he volunteered each year to host the Christmas dinner. Missing out on that was among the first thoughts he had after making the decision to close.

"For five years we had been part of that, and the community was so heavily involved, now all of a sudden it's going to be gone. That was something we've felt pretty bad about," he said.

"So many people told us how much this meant to them and how much they appreciated it. We talked to (other people in the community) who might be able to continue on with the dinner next year, and if they do my wife and I are looking forward to volunteering and helping out with it."

Barden wanted to let the Ypsilanti community know just how thankful he was for its support over his five years at Korey's.

"We really appreciate the entire Ypsilanti community. We have really personal relationships with our customers and the people who worked for us," he said.

"Ypsilanti is a truly great community for business. You have to have a community embrace you to be a successful business, and that's exactly what the city of Ypsilanti did for us."